Rising fuel prices are leading motorists to drive with barely any fuel in their tanks causing an increase in the number of vehicles breaking down due to a chronic lack of petrol.

In the last three months alone, 340,000 drivers have suffered a breakdown due to running out of fuel, up ten per cent from the same time last year, research by according to Britannia Rescue.

The average UK motorist is paying £50 to completely fill the tank, a rise of £11.50 from 2007. Half of all drivers have admitted to running their car with the bare minimum of fuel.

One in five of drivers say that, due to high fuel prices, they can no longer afford to fill their tank up, with single parents (37 per cent) and young professionals (26 per cent) hit the hardest.

More and more motorists are therefore gambling on how far they can travel on limited fuel. Some 59 per cent have allowed their fuel level to fall so low the warning light has been triggered.

Twenty six per cent said they drive their car on virtually no fuel at least once a month, with eight per cent admitting to running on empty ‘all the time’.

Four per cent correctly estimated that the average car could drive between 100 and 110 miles on £10-worth of fuel.

Drivers are so desperate to save money on fuel that 21 per cent said they no longer use air conditioning in their cars, while 38 per cent said they drive slower to save fuel.

The recent four-day strike from Shell caused huge queues at service stations affecting a sixth (15 per cent) of all motorists. An estimated 150 filling stations ran out of fuel with a quarter (23 per cent) of drivers saying their local garage had run dry.

Despite government warnings not to panic buy during the strike, over 3.7 million motorists disregarded these pleas and filled their tank up to avoid running dry. Just 11 per cent of motorists adhering to Government advice to only buy fuel when necessary.

Emma Holyer, spokesperson for Britannia Rescue, said: “Increases in fuel prices are hitting drivers hard, especially against a background of rising food and housing costs.

“But whilst it is now more costly to fill up at the pumps running a car on empty can damage a car’s fuel pump – requiring repairs that will make a full tank of £50 petrol seem like a bargain.

“Drivers who run their car on empty are also at high risk of breaking down. Not only is this extremely costly if you don’t have breakdown cover and also very inconvenient, running out of fuel on the roads that don’t have a hard shoulder can create major safety hazards for other drivers.”